Trials of Time
by Ivoryplains
Summary: Two years have past since the pharaoh's departure, and the teens struggle to find their place in the world. Can past indiscretions and injuries be mended? Will the world ever shine as bright as it once did? Includes: Atem, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Téa, Seto, Serenity, Mai, Duke and some others.
1. A Late Night Stroll

_I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! I've posted the first 3 chapters right off the bat, my goal is to add one chapter a week, but when classes start it may be more like every 2 weeks._

_Criticisms are welcome, but try to keep them constructive. If something is not well received overall, I may just change it to keep you happy._

_For the most part this story takes place two years after Atem left for the spirit realm, although the first 3 chapters take place smack in the middle of episode 200 (The evening/morning before Yugi and company fly to Cairo)._

_As I'm sure you know, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters._

**_*For the peeps who were sent here for the missing portion of the story: See this line below here? There's one just like it further down the page, that's the start of what you missed because I failed to copy and paste correctly.*_**

* * *

It was late in the evening and the bedroom was silent. Yugi had fallen asleep hours ago and Yami could feel the faint touch of the boy's dreams in his mind. There was a sense of calm in Yugi's thoughts that made him jealous of the teenager. He hasn't slept in days; there were too many concerns on his mind. With Yugi in the unconscious realm of dream, Yami was free to use his body; so with a deep sigh he rolled out of the youth's bed and looked out the window at the moon, stretching as he did so. Their encounter with Bakura earlier in the night had left a sinking feeling in the pharaoh's stomach; a nagging sensation that they were playing right into the enemy's hands... but what could they do? It was time to find answers, and the only place to go was Egypt.

_Tomorrow I go home. _

The thought was so immanent, so final. The truth was he didn't want to leave. He had found friends in this time, Yugi, Joey, Tristan... _Téa_.

A wave of thought flowed through the pharaoh that was not his own: images of Téa before he had met her, and an overpowering emotion of desire. Yami tightened his hand into a fist and put up a mental barrier to block out Yugi's dreams. Anger seethed inside him along with another emotion... something he had buried for so long.

He had always assumed that because of how interwoven their minds were, Yugi's emotions for Téa affected the way he thought of her as well. So he had dismissed the feelings and never mentioned them to anyone. Especially not his host. But now with his departure so close, he could no longer lie to himself. _She was the only one who ever made me feel human. _He lamented, _The only one who makes me feel alive._ Maybe it was because Yugi was his reincarnation that he felt drawn to her, or maybe it was just coincidence; but he couldn't ignore the feelings anymore, even if he would never act on them.

He had seen the jealous sidelong glances Téa had been giving Rebecca the past few months while she had been hanging off of Yugi's shoulder, even if the boy hadn't. It frustrated him to no end. He wanted to yell at Yugi for upsetting the woman they both cared so deeply about, but every time he remained silent, in a selfish hope that Yugi would never notice, and he would be able to continue... what? Pining after her? It was foolish how childish he was being.

Yami walked over to the window and opened it fully. For a moment he just stood there, taking in breaths of the outside world and allowing his mind to go blank. _Did I ever feel like this before?_ He wondered, trying once more to conjure up a memory of his past life. It was an act in futility he knew, but he stood like that for a long time, his forehead against the screen of the window; his eyes closed trying to remember feeling this way in a time long past. _I need to get out of here for a while_.

Quietly so as to not wake Yugi's grandpa, he changed out of the pajamas he wore. Returning to the window he removed the screen and stepped out onto the roof. Careful not to make too much noise he walked over to the edge and dropped gracefully down onto the sidewalk and set off in no real direction into the city.

As he walked his thoughts were sporadic; his first memories of this time, moments from Battle City, a duel with Kaiba. As he passed a diner he froze in his tracks. _This is..._

"Yugi?" The pharaoh looked up and across the road. He felt his heart soar.

"Téa," he tried his best to smile at her, but his muddled emotions showed through, "what are you doing out here so late at night?"

"I could ask you the same question pharaoh." She crossed the street to meet him in front of the diner they had eaten at during the day they had spent together. "You need your rest for the trip tomorrow."

"I can sleep on the plane. I needed to get out and clear my head, see the city one last time." Téa opened her mouth to protest but he raised his hand, "Yugi is fast asleep, he won't suffer any ill effects from my late night stroll. What about you? It isn't safe for you to be out here alone so late at night."

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Concern washed over the ancient pharaoh's face. He wanted to put a comforting arm around her and hold her, but he knew that urge came with strong ulterior motives and so instead he shoved his hands into his pockets. "What's wrong?" He simply asked instead.

"I can't stop thinking that you and Yugi leave tomorrow for Egypt, and that you might not come back." Yami berated himself for it, but he took pleasure in knowing she wanted him to stay too. "I think about all of the things we've all been through together and all the evils we've overcome. There's this tiny voice in the back of my mind that keeps saying 'This is the one we can't fight' and I can't shut it out. I can't sleep because when I close my eyes I see shadow games and monsters." A shiver ran through her body even though the night was still warm. "And then I thought of you." Again the pharaoh's heart rate quickened. "All these burdens lie squarely on your shoulders, I know that you must feel them weighing down on you, and as if that isn't enough you don't remember who you are. When I thought about that, I felt selfish for even thinking about my troubles." A dog barked down the road and they both turned to watch as it chased a cat into a nearby alleyway. "I'm sorry; you have enough on your mind right now without me unloading my problems on you too."

"You…you worry about me?" Yami's voice was shaky as he spoke. He could feel his cheeks reddening and he turned to hide them from the streetlights.

"Of course I worry about you." She smiled warmly, "The boys seem to forget sometimes that you aren't some all-powerful being from another world just because you don't have a body of your own. You are every bit as human as the rest of us and are just as affected by emotions like worry and doubt." _And desire, _he thought as she took his hand. "If you need someone to talk to pharaoh I'm here. Would you walk with me for a while?"

This time his smile was as warm as hers, "How could I refuse?"

* * *

They walked hand-in-hand to the park and sat down on top of a small hill. A cool breeze blew ruffling Téa's baggy t-shirt. She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, trying to warm herself. Yami shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. As Téa thanked him she pulled the coat in around her, closing her eyes for a moment and inhaling his scent. _Or Yugi's scent._ He reminded himself, wondering which one of them she was thinking about."Téa..." When she looked at him their eyes met and the question caught in his throat. How could he betray Yugi's future all for the sake of one night? Swallowing his pride he looked away from her, "please take care of Yugi when I've gone."

He felt her hand against his cheek as she turned his face towards her. "What are you talking about? Yugi's strong, he'll be fine without you." She smiled again; confident, encouraging, beautiful. Why did she have to make this harder on him?

"That's not what I meant. I've seen those looks you've been giving Rebecca, even if Yugi has not." Téa's cheeks reddened and he felt his resolve waver. Clenching his fist he continued, "I know you have feelings for him, and I can assure you that his love for you is great and pure. The two of you are destined for each other I'm sure of it. So please... take care of him." As he finished there was a long silence where the only noise was the crickets in the field.

"What makes you think Yugi is the only one I have feelings for?" The pharaoh's heartbeat quickened. This was what he had wanted to hear for so long… but he had made up his mind. He would not betray Yugi's trust.

Rising, the pharaoh looked out at the field, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. "Téa… I'm a three thousand year-old _dead_ Egyptian pharaoh. You have no future with me. Yugi is my reincarnation in this time, the only reason you feel drawn to me is because of the bond I share with him." His words were harsh and measured, hiding his true feelings perfectly.

Téa looked away, and once again there was a long silence. When she finally spoke her voice quavered, "Couldn't you have lied to me for one night?" she asked. "I know it's selfish of me to ask that of you with everything that's resting on your shoulders; but how hard would it have been to tell me you felt the same? I'll probably never see you again, so would it really matter?"

"Téa," Yami moved beside her, crouching down to look her in the eyes; when he saw the tears streaming down her face his resolve shattered. "Téa there is nothing I wouldn't give to be able to stay here in this time with you. But I don't belong here, and I cannot stay. You have a talented, kind hearted and intelligent boy that loves you, and who _does_ have a future in this world. Not to mention a body of his own. I love you more than anything; so I won't jeopardize your future with Yugi for the sake of my foolish pride. I have to let you go."

Her cheeks darkened into a beautiful shade of red as she wiped her tears onto the sleeve of his jacket. "That's all I really needed…just to know," she told him, her voice barely a whisper, "I just didn't want to spend the rest of my life wondering."

A sad smile found its way to the pharaoh's face as he took her hand and helped her up. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking he should not tell her. "Come with me, I should take you home."


	2. The Ignited Flame

_Here's chapter 2!_

_This is the chapter I would love feedback on the most! It's a key event in later plot so I want to be sure it's been written well and flows with the rest of the story. Remember to be constructive though! If you make me cry I'm not going to want to fix it :P_

_This content is rated T_

_As previously stated, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh._

* * *

Not a word was said as they walked hand in hand through the streets. Their grasp was tighter than before; each knowing that this was the last time they would likely be this close. When they reached her front step, Yami loosened his grasp as Téa climbed the two stairs to the door. He wasn't planning on following her onto the porch, but found himself standing at the top of the stairs none the less. After unlocking the front door she turned to face him. Removing his jacket she returned it to him. "Thank you for tonight," she smiled. "Please be safe in Egypt."

"I promise I will." He stepped closer to her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sleep well Téa." As he pulled the jacket back on a strange look came over Téa's face. He tilted his head in confusion but before he could ask what was wrong she grabbed his coat by the collar and pulled the shocked pharaoh towards her. As her lips made contact with his a spark set fire inside his body.

He pulled her against him, running his hands along her back as his tongue slid along her lips asking permission. To his surprise, she responded with a little moan and nibbled on his lower lip before granting his request. Téa let go of his jacket and her hands ran along his well-toned chest, and then up behind his neck. She leaned back, pulling him with her, Yami willingly took two swift steps forward, pinning her against the door. Their lips parted and Téa was gasping for air, but the pharaoh was not done yet.

His lips traveled to her ear as he licked and nibbled on her earlobe. A gasp escaped her lips and he smiled as he continued one kiss at a time, down to the nape of her neck. His hands were on her thighs, and as he moved them up to her hips, her loose fitting shirt draped over them. His hands continued from her hips, behind to her lower back. The feeling of his hands on her skin brought another moan from her lips that fueled the flame she had ignited. Yami's tongue licked at the base of her neck before he began to nibble and suck. His hands were now at her waist, and slowly moving up her sides. He felt the bottom of her bra against his thumbs as his hands moved up farther, and as he brushed the sides of her breasts she let out a loud breathy moan.

Muddled thoughts and emotions flashed through his mind, a mix of confusion, jealousy and rage. Yami cursed. He had dropped his mental barrier between him and Yugi. Thankfully the boy was still sleeping; with any luck he would think it was a dream. Returning the mental barrier once more, the pharaoh pulled himself away from Téa's neck. His hands ran smoothly down her sides, and rested on her hips as he spoke. "I'm sorry, need to get back," he apologized, "Yugi's mind is stirring. I'd rather he not know about my outing tonight." He pulled her towards him for one last kiss goodbye. Her arms tightened around his shoulders when he tried to pull away. They stood like that for a long time, just holding each other.

Finally Téa broke the silence. "I'm coming to Egypt with you."

Yami pushed her away to arm's length so she could look him in the eyes. "It's too dangerous Téa. If I wasn't bound to Yugi's body he wouldn't be going either."

"I made up my mind yesterday; Joey and Tristan too. I'm meeting them in the morning and we'll see you at the airport."

He looked at her sceptically, "I recall you saying in the park that I was not going to see you again."

She blushed, "I may have changed my mind about going when you tried to break my heart." She admitted. "But I'm sure now. I want to help you however I can, and I can't do a thing if I'm here."

Her face was determined, and the pharaoh knew better than to argue with that look. "Promise me you will be careful." It wasn't a question; his voice was forceful as he spoke.

She kissed him gently on the lips before whispering, "As my pharaoh commands" into his ear.

* * *

As she closed the door to her home her knees weakened. Leaning against the wall she blushed, thinking about how bold she had been. _I can't believe I kissed him first… and then bit his lip… I let him get to second base! _Her cheeks reddened when she remembered his hands against her skin and his lips on her neck. Raising her hand to the right side of her neck she felt a tender spot right at the base. _He didn't. _Looking in the mirror hanging across from her she examined the red mark on the nape of her neck. _He did! _

She could feel the heat rising to her face as she quietly ran to her room. _That was some first kiss… _Opening her closet she pulled out all the shirts she owned with high necklines and tossed them on top of her already packed suitcase. _I'll swap them out in the morning. _Looking at the clock on her dresser the digital face changed over to 3:40am. Although her birthday technically started at midnight, this had been the moment she was born. "Happy 18th birthday girl," she whispered to herself as she crawled into bed. Today wasn't turning out so bad after all.

* * *

As Yami crawled through the window back into Yugi's room he was surprised to see the boy's grandpa sitting on the bed. "Out for a late-night stroll pharaoh?" he asked.

Yami froze in place unsure what to say. "Please don't tell Yugi," he finally decided on, "I don't want him to worry about me."

The boy's grandpa smiled as he spoke, "He does that of his own accord. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I heard you climbing back onto the roof and I thought I should check in."

The pharaoh laughed, "I definitely was not as graceful coming back up as I was on my way down. I'm sorry if I woke you, I just needed to see the city one last time."

Grandpa rose and headed to the door. "I understand, get some rest pharaoh."

"Goodnight." Yami responded just before the door closed. Smiling at the bullet he just dodged, the pharaoh stripped out of his clothes, taking the time to fold, and place them exactly where they had been before he left. Pulling back on his pajamas, and crawling into bed he closed his eyes, finally dropping the mental barrier between him and his host. Yugi's thoughts were occupied by a dream about duel monsters. Yami smiled; relieved that the boy was not still dwelling on the moments he had shared with Téa. He took some time to fortify a wall around those memories so that the boy would never accidently tap into them again, and then drifted off to sleep, his mind within those sacred walls.


	3. Rage and Embarrassment

_And finally... chapter 3! This marks the end of our time with Atem sadly (and we don't even get to call him by his real name). The story's ending isn't written in stone though, so if there's enough people asking for him to come back, I have a thought or two on how I could work it in._

_Remember to tell me what you think..._

_I feel redundant, but as I have said twice already: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh...or do I? Nope definitely don't._

* * *

When Yugi awoke the next morning he felt strange. It wasn't anything he could put his finger on, but something felt… off. He furrowed his brow and pursed his lips together, thinking. Something about his lips felt strange. Running his tongue along them he felt a tender spot on his lower one, and there was a strange taste... pomegranates? A fuzzy memory of a dream came back to him… he was kissing Téa, she had tasted like this…

He shook the thought out of his head and called to the pharaoh in his thoughts. _You awake yet?_ When no answer came Yugi shrugged and began to dress. As he unfolded his pants he noticed a bit of dirt on the backside of them. _That's odd._ Bushing it off he finished dressing, leaving his jacket hanging on the back of the chair while he headed downstairs for breakfast.

Just as he finished eating his toast he felt the pharaoh's mind stir. _Good morning. _His deep voice sounded cheerful, but tired.

_Good morning to you too sleepyhead. _Yugi teased, heading back upstairs to the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, Yugi's mind wandered back to the pomegranate taste on his lips this morning. _Hey did you eat anything last night while I was sleeping? _It was a normal question; it wouldn't have been the first time the pharaoh ate a midnight snack while Yugi slept.

Silence.

_Pharaoh? _Nothing. Yugi wondered what could have him so preoccupied. _Pharaoh are you okay?_

_Yes, sorry Yugi my mind was elsewhere. What was the question?_

_Did you eat anything last night while I was sleeping? I woke up tasting pomegranates._

There was a long pause, _I had some juice, _he lied, _but I don't think it was pomegranate. _Yami's mind reeled, he hadn't thought of Téa's lip chap… what else had he forgotten to think about?

_Oh, okay I was just confused when I woke up. At least you didn't eat sardines again. _The boy joked, leaving the bathroom and returning to his room.

"Yugi!" grandpa's voice carried from downstairs. "We need to get going or you won't make it through customs in time!"

"Coming gramps!" Yugi hollered as he grabbed his jacked, putting it on in one fluid motion. As the collar of the jacket brushed his cheek a scent caught his attention. _Téa's perfume? _The thought belonged to them both.

Sudden memories flowed from Yugi's mind, strong images that Yami could not help but feel and see. Téa returning the jacket… then pulling him in for a kiss…_Téa was wearing my coat in my dream last night…_His lips against her neck as she moaned…_ but she was shorter than she is normally…unless…Yami?_ The last image to flow through into the pharaoh's mind before the youth was able to contain his thoughts was his hands under the young woman's shirt. Then there was a wall of sheer rage and embarrassment.

_Yugi, _he dared to ask, _what was that?_ The shock in his voice was genuine, he had never felt such a strong negative emotion inside Yugi.

_Just a dream… an embarrassing dream. _Relief washed over the pharaoh. With any luck the boy would never think of it again.

But memories that evoke such strong emotions do not fade so easily…

* * *

_Short chapter I know, but you got 3 right off the bat so be happy. New chapter will be up next week!_


	4. A Surprise Visit

**_Just a quick note to anyone who read the first 3 chapters the morning they were posted: there were about 600 words that didn't make it into the 1_****_st_****_ chapter that were supposed to be there. So if you were wondering how Téa ended up wearing Atem's coat, or why she all of a sudden kissed him out of the blue, I added the segment to the end of chapter 1 it makes a lot more sense now. It's _****_my favorite scene that I've written so far. So if you haven't read it please go back and do so!  
_****_Sorry for causing confusion!_**

_Probably have another chapter up on Thursday_

_Oh yeah, Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine. But I can dream ;)_

* * *

Tristan let out a deep sigh of boredom as he leaned against the counter of Black Clown game shop. It was a brutally slow day and he would give anything to have his textbooks here so he could study for his final next week.

Had anyone told him two years ago that he would be in university now; he would have laughed in their faces. But something had happened to him on their trip to Egypt. He had felt overwhelmed by the pharaoh's past and everything he had achieved. The dude had saved the world from annihilation twice for crying out loud! It had made Tristan seriously think about how he had been living his life up till that point and about his own plans for his future.

The rest of that year he spent focusing on his studies, raising his marks until he was one of the top students in his class. He was surprised how easy it had been for him when he put his mind to it, and he aced the entrance exams into university without a problem.

He got a job working here at Duke's store the week after his classes had started. Yugi's grandpa had been forced to close down Kame Game's when he suffered a stroke two days before high school graduation. He had sold the store to Duke, and for a while Duke just paid rent to Yugi's mom for the shop space, but late last January he bought the property when Mrs. Moto remarried. Duke had spent some time remodeling the house into part of the game shop, and changed the sign out front.

The guy wasn't a bad boss, but he still drove Tristan up the wall whenever Serenity came in to visit. Tristan knew that Duke only flirted with her because well, he did that with all the girls. She had been seeing Tristan for almost a year now, and he couldn't honestly ever remember being happier. He didn't see the rest of the gang much anymore, but this was where they met up when they could.

Yugi was making his living as the poster boy for Kaiba Corp. working alongside Seto. The two had put their differences aside, and since they were the top two champions of duel monsters they always caught the public eye during their monthly company promotions. Yugi had been in a long distance relationship with Téa for almost a year now. She had moved to New York to study dance; Joey went with her and was doing quite well for himself as a professional Duel Monster's player. He was number one in the country overseas. Whenever Téa's schedule would allow, Joey would fly the two of them back for a visit. They all e-mailed each other on a daily basis, but phone calls were few and far between because of the time difference.

The bell rang as the door opened and Tristan put on his customer-service face. "Welcome! Can I help you find anything to–" Tristan froze mid-sentence. He tried to make a noise but the sight of the blonde-haired woman who had entered had rendered him speechless.

"Oh," She said, taken aback by Tristan's presence in the store, "I…I was looking for Duke." She twirled a strand of her hair shyly and stood more slouched than she used to, but her bright purple clothes left no room for doubt; Mai Valentine was standing in front of him. How long had it been? At least three years. What did she want with Duke? Tristan's mind reeled; all the while he stood gaping at her from the counter. "Pick your jaw up off the floor kid," she snapped, a bit of her old spunk showing through, "it's not like I was dead or anything… I just needed some time to figure things out."

"Three years is a lot of time Mai, and none of us ever heard a word from you. How've you been?" Tristan walked over to one of the tables set up for casual games and sat down, Mai followed and seated herself across from him.

"I've been better I guess. I was seeing a shrink daily for a while, spent the last year traveling. I needed to figure things out. Battle City really screwed with my mind, I'm still not who I was before it happened; I don't think I'll ever be but I'm okay with that." She looked around the store, "I decided a few weeks ago that I was ready to face Joey again. I'm not sure how our reunion will go, but I need to apologize for dropping out of his life the way I did."

"So why did you come here?" Tristan gestured to the store, "Wouldn't contacting Joey or Yugi directly be easier?"

Mai blushed, "I have no idea where Joey is, and Yugi is the King of Games. I've been out of the competitions since Battle City; I don't have the connections to get in contact with Yugi. And I don't want to talk to Joey until we're face to face. I need our reunion to be under my terms. Duke was the only one I could think of that would have kept in touch with you guys, and his shop was easy enough to find."

Tristan put his right hand up to his head, massaging his temples while he weighed his next words carefully. "Mai, in your traveling, where did you go exactly?"

The question clearly took the woman by surprise, "Europe mostly. France, Italy, England. I also traveled to New Zealand–"

"–Not to America?" Mai shook her head. Tristan sighed. "Joey's been living in the States for a year now. Without Yugi and Kaiba to compete with he's the best duelist in the country. If you want to see him, you're going to have to go there. He won't be here again for at least six months."

Mai's body slumped as her heart sank, "How am I going to arrange a meeting with him once I get there?" she asked, thinking it was a rhetorical question.

Tristan laughed. "I'll give you Téa's e-mail, she moved there with Joey to study dance. They live in the same building, you can probably just crash at her place." He scribbled her address down on a piece of paper and passed it across the table to her.

"Téa is there too?" Mai leaned closer to Tristan, lowering her voice as if she was afraid of being overheard. "They aren't… you know…?"

"No," he snorted at the idea, "Téa has been doing the long distance thing with Yugi. Speaking of which, do you mind if I tell him you stopped by? I'm sure he'd like to know you're doing alright."

Mai smiled as she stood. "That's fine, but please don't tell Joey, I'll let him know I was here when I see him myself."

"Mum's the word." He nodded as she headed for the door. "It was good to see you Mai, stop by anytime, Serenity would love to see you."

"You managed to snag her did you?" Mai's smile shone a little brighter. "Good for you. I will, and thank you Tristan!" With the ring of the bell she was gone and the shop went back to being silent and boring.

Tristan pulled out his phone. It rang twice before a deep voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Yug, Tristan here. Listen, Joey can't know we've had this conversation; but you may want to give your girlfriend a call first chance you get. She's gonna have quite the surprise in her inbox tomorrow…"

* * *

_New chapter will be posted next Thursday! Please send feedback! _


	5. The King of Games

___**Again just a reminder, an additional 600 words or so were added to chapter 1 that I failed to post originality. **_

_Tada! Chapter 5 up on time! Thursdays will most likely continue to be the day this story updates. This week we spend some time with Kaiba and Yugi. I hope everyone enjoys it!_

_I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, it's characters, or Mickey Mouse._

* * *

When Yugi hung up the phone he was smiling. The thought of Mai seeking out Joey after so long was promising. He knew his friend would be thrilled to see her, but they would have a lot to talk about. Pocketing his phone he pressed the button to call the elevator to take him to the duel arena at the top of Kaiba tower. This was by far his favorite part of this job; playing with the new tech toys Kaiba's engineers had developed.

He stepped into the elevator and after selecting the top floor, pulled out his phone again to send a message to Téa. **_Hope you slept well. I'll call around 10:00am your time, I've got big news_**_._ Looking at his watch Yugi winced. _Its 4 in the morning there, hopefully her phone is on silent…_

It had been an interesting two years for Yugi after his other half left for the spirit world. Within a week he went through a growth spurt that shot him up almost two whole feet. His grandfather guessed that his maturing process had been slowed somehow by the un-aging spirit of Atem. With the pharaoh gone his body had to make up for lost time.

His voice however remained the same much to Yugi's disappointment. For a long while after his 18th birthday Yugi had been self-conscious of it, even faking a deeper voice much to the amusement of his friends. Eventually he just stopped caring. Until a few days ago.

The elevator halted one floor below the top, and the doors swooshed open. Seto took two swift steps inside, adjusting his tie as he did so. They stood side by side silently for a moment before Yugi spoke. "So how's the week going?"

The CEO nearly jumped out of his well-groomed suit. "What the hell happened to your voice?!"

Yugi just grinned, cocking an eyebrow as he said "The King of Games asked you a question first."

"It's been a rough week." The head of Kaiba Corp admitted, "The board is full of old men with old fashioned ideas. If they had their way the company would be running itself into the ground right now."

"They still disapprove of airing the monthly duels?" Yugi's voice was sympathetic. "Do they realize how much free media attention we get from them?"

"They think that the attention could be a bad thing if the system upgrades for the month crash during the duel." Seto's voice sounded tired.

Yugi laughed. "Old people and technology?"

"Old people and technology." Seto agreed.

"They do realize the two best duelists in the world test the system twice weekly _every_ week between the aired duels? If there's a bug in the program we always find it well before."

"I've said as much a hundred times over. We spend the day of these duels going around in circles in the conference room. If even one of them would ever come and watch us testing the system perhaps I would hold some weight to their concerns. But they think they know best just because they happen to have grandchildren my age." He shook his head and changed the topic. "How about you? Are public relations still doing alright?"

Yugi grinned, "Well I did a phone interview this morning with a gaming magazine."

"And?" Seto's voice had an edge to it that said there had better be good news.

"It took a lot of effort to keep the interview on topic. The new Duel Disk system is amazing, but the woman seemed…" He paused, trying to think of the right word.

"Distracted?" Kaiba sighed. "You're kidding right?"

"Have you heard my voice?"

"Yeah, congratulations on no longer sounding like Mickey Mouse." Kaiba's voice had an angry edge to it. "So what we you're saying is that you don't know whether that article will be about the new system, or the fact that your balls finally dropped?"

Yugi's grin grew wider, "You put it so eloquently." When Seto didn't laugh back he sighed and relented. "Don't worry, I had a list of the interview questions before hand, I gave her all the answers she needed to write a proper article."

"Good." The doors to the elevator opened and they entered a small room attached to the top floor arena. "Have you heard from Téa lately?" Seto asked, laying his briefcase on the table and clicking it open as he sat down.

"She's been really busy with classes and work. I'm calling her tonight though; Mai might be flying over to visit her."

Seto stopped looking through his selection of decks and raised his eyes in surprise. "Are we talking Mai Valentine, Mai? I thought she dropped off the radar years ago."

"She did," Yugi answered, shuffling a few new cards into his deck as he spoke, "and today she walked into Duke's game shop out of the blue wondering where to find Joey."

Seto let out a chuckle, "That kid always did have some crazy luck didn't he? Is he planning on coming back here any time soon? From the sounds of it, he may actually pose a serious challenge these days."

"He won't be back for six months or so. I don't know how long he'll be staying though. Have you watched any of his games lately?"

"A few, but if you ever tell him that I swear I _will_ fire your ass." His words were harsh, but there was a smirk on his face.

"Like you could run this company without me." Yugi laughed, "You're awful with public relations. You ready?"

Grabbing a deck from the case at random the CEO stood, shrugging off his suit jacket and removing his tie he tossed them on the couch. As they reached the entrance to the arena Seto grabbed his white trench coat with his trademark pin, pulling it on before they stepped out into the arena.

The crowd was unbearably loud; it was something Yugi had never really gotten used to over the years. He could hear Mokuba's voice over the loudspeaker, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Kaiba Corp monthly tournament's main event!" Yugi and Seto exchanged a friendly nod, knowing that until they were standing on their mic-wired platforms they wouldn't be able to hear each other anyways. "Please welcome the top two duelists in the world: Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto!"

The King of Games tried not to wince as the deafening roar rose up in the stadium. He stood tall and confident, smiling and waving to his fans. During their first few duels like this, the stadium had been mostly filled with Yugi's fans, but Kaiba was no joke when it came to Duel Monsters either, and with each month, more and more people came to cheer for him. Now the stadium was divided almost equally down the middle, with their respective fans on either side of the playing field. Yugi had to admit that lately; every time he stepped onto the dueling platform he knew he very well may step down a dethroned King of Games. Of course that was what made these duels so popular in the first place.

Seto offered his fans a smug nod before turning to face Yugi. "Did you want to do the honors?" he asked.

Yugi grinned, pulling his mic piece over his ear. His deep voice boomed through the stadium. "IT'S TIME…TO DUEL!" The sound of female squeals drowned out the usual cheering and even Kaiba had to admit; that voice was damn impressive.


	6. Dreams Beside the Nile

_This weeks chapter is kinda depressing and I apologize in advance for that. Depending how the next few days go, I may post an extra chapter again this week as an apology for being such a downer._

_Yu-Gi-Oh and its characters are not mine._

* * *

Atem sat beside the Nile of the spirit world, watching the friends he had left behind. He smiled as Yugi once again defeated Kaiba in their monthly tournament, still wondering how Joey would react when Mai walked through his door sometime soon. Tristan had gotten off work and was taking Serenity on a date, so he offered them some privacy, and decided to check and see if Téa was still practicing her dancing, or if she had gone to sleep for the night.

The water of the Nile stirred as the image changed, for a brief moment reflecting the world around him like a mirror. He jumped when he saw another reflection standing above his own. "I thought I would find you here." Mana's voice was serious; it was a tone Atem rarely heard in the bubbly youth.

Though she had lived a long full life after he had departed from Egypt, here in the spirit realm she held the body of the girl he had known. "You spend too much time watching the affairs of the living. This is our world now; they'll be here eventually. Why not keep yourself busy instead of watching them day in and day out?" Atem blushed as the water cleared; Téa was changing into her pajamas. "Seriously? You're watching her change?" She hit him across the side of the face in an attempt to get a reaction that wasn't void of emotions. "Do you have nothing better to do?"

"I didn't mean to," the pharaoh's voice was a little bit defensive, but nothing else.

Mana sighed, "It isn't healthy to sit here and watch the living. If you really cared about these guys so much why did you leave them?" She asked, sitting on the bank beside him.

"I couldn't stay in the same body as that boy any longer." He admitted.

"Poor roommate?" Mana teased, but Atem's face fell.

"I betrayed his trust." He replied, looking back at the water as Téa crawled into bed.

"Her?" Mana asked.

The dead pharaoh nodded, "Every day I watch her; she's doing everything she had ever hoped to, following her dreams…but she doesn't smile like she used to. It makes me wonder if I made the right choice in leaving her."

"You could find out you know," Atem looked up at Mana, "I do know a trick or two that would let you talk to her." her smile was a comfort and he offered an unsure one in return.

* * *

Téa was still awake when she received Yugi's text. Her phone buzzed on her night stand as she crawled into bed. Reading it she smiled, wondering what this big news was. She had been up late after work practicing a dance routine, and hadn't realized it was already 4:15. As soon as her head touched the pillow she was asleep.

_She found herself walking down a hallway in her dream. Téa recognized it immediately; she was on the cruise ship they had taken before seeing the pharaoh off to the spirit world. Téa walked the hall quickly, knowing why she was here. She had dreamed of this night many times before, reshaping it from her memories. Reaching the door she, knocked gently. "Come in." The voice was deep and Téa couldn't help but smile as she opened the door. There he sat, looking through his cards one by one, carefully selecting his deck for the duel with Yugi._

_"Hey Atem, have a sec?" She asked, closing the door securely behind her._

_He stood, taking a step towards her. "Of course Téa, what is it?"_

_"As the self-appointed cruise director I thought I'd tell you we arrive tomorrow." She met him beside the table and she looked down at the array of cards sorted across it. "I guess you're getting ready for your big duel against Yugi huh?" Her voice was sad as she spoke, the closer they got to Atem's departure, the harder it became for her to hide her emotions._

_"Yes," he nodded at the table as he spoke. "I have to be sure that I pose a serious challenge to him during our duel. Yugi has done much growing in our time together, but my soul won't be able to cross over if I don't know for certain that he is ready to stand on his own." Atem's eyes met Téa's and his voice became unsure. "Will you be alright when I'm gone?" _

_The question caught her off guard. She had never dreamed of him asking that before; she didn't know how to respond. She thought of the years she had spent without him, moving to New York, and following her dreams. She had done everything she had ever wanted to do, and was right where she hoped she would be… but was she alright? "I-I don't know." Tears streamed down her face and Atem took another step towards her, wrapping his arms around her…_

Then her phone rang.

Téa sat up in bed groggily and looked at her alarm clock: 10:03. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, realizing that she hadn't been crying only in her dream. Clearing her throat she picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey babe, how did you sleep?" asked a deep voice on the other side. The phone slipped from her hands, and tears once again began to fall from her face. She could hear the muffled voice from her cellphone, lying face-up on the bed, "Téa? Téa, it's Yugi. Are you there?" There was a pause and the words "CALL ENDED" flashed on the screen. It was a moment before she composed herself enough to pick up the phone and dial him back. When his deep voice answered the phone again she sucked in a sob.

"Yugi? Sorry, I was half asleep and hung up on you." She lied, hoping that she sounded groggy and not on the verge of tears. "What's up with your voice?"

"It happened a few days ago, I didn't think to tell you." Yugi admitted. "I guess I should have before calling. You probably were pretty confused when I answered."

Téa's heart wrenched inside her. "Yeah a little. So what's this big news you were talking about? I was crawling into bed when I saw that last night."

"You should have told me to call later if you were only going to bed when I sent that text." There was concern in his voice as he spoke. "Mai is looking to meet with Joey. She'll be sending you an e-mail in a day or so asking for your help but she doesn't want Joey to know just yet. Do you think she can stay at your place while she's there?"

Téa's mind was too tired and distraught for news like this. "Yeah," she said, her voice far off. "Can I call you tonight? I need to get a bit more sleep before we talk about Mai's reappearance."

"Alright, sleep well, I love you." The line went dead before she could respond, which suited her just fine. In her emotional state she didn't know if she could have said those words back to him. She set her phone on the table once again, curled up into a ball and sobbed.

She was still there when Joey arrived at noon to take her out to lunch.

* * *

_Ah Joey, he was supposed to debut in the chapter after this one... then I realized I had a section of plot that occurred during this time while Téa is crying in her bed. Writing in 2 time zones is a little confusing. We will meet up with Joey in chapter 9. _


	7. Lingering Pains

_And another update! I may give you one more update this week so that I can post Joey's debut chapter this coming Thursday. I've had it written for a long time and I'm super psyched about it!  
_

_I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. _

* * *

"Poor girl," Mana whispered as Téa awoke ending Atem's connection to her rather suddenly.

"What have I done?" Atem watched as she answered the phone, holding back sobs as she spoke to Yugi. "Mana I need to talk to her again, she's crying because of me." He turned to look at his childhood friend only to see her crestfallen face.

"I can't bring you to her while she's awake. It's beyond my power."

The pharaoh looked back to the water, unable to leave the scene that he had created. Téa put the phone down, and curled into a ball, he could see her body shake every time she sobbed. "I have to make this right." He whispered.

Mana rose and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I will speak with Mahad, maybe he knows a way." Atem nodded, his eyes never leaving the water.

* * *

Yugi knew something was wrong when Téa took almost ten minutes to return his dropped call. When she did finally call her voice sounded more distraught than tired, and there was a quivering to it that made him think she was crying. He tried to tell himself that he had imagined it, but when she asked about his voice he was sure hers had cracked. _Is she upset because she thought I was him? No…_

Atem had been gone for two years now…but ever since the night he had dreamed of the two of them Yugi couldn't shake the feeling that he was competing with the pharaoh for Téa's affection. Till then, he had never noticed if Téa looked differently at him when the pharaoh inhabited his body. Though after that night, the glances seemed constant. And it wasn't _only_ her he noticed.

He remembered the look on the pharaoh's face when she had given him that silver necklace with the blank cartouche on it. "I'll never take it off," he had told her… and when the five of them stood facing Zork inside Atem's memory; one by one Joey, Tristain and Téa were hurt as their monsters were destroyed, but the pharaoh didn't react until Téa was hit, even though her wounds were far less substantial than their other two friends. Then there was the boat ride to the pharaoh's resting place...

Yugi knew as soon as Téa opened the door to his room she wasn't there to see him. He had played it cool and didn't let on that he knew, but he didn't call out to the pharaoh. In fact he built up a mental barrier just in case to keep him out of the conversation. He felt guilty about it afterwards, until the next morning when she all but pleaded for the duel to be postponed. That's when he realized that everyone but him already knew how she felt. He had been a fool.

All of these things played on his mind, and the dream had become reoccurring nightmare for him. A nagging feeling that Téa had lied to him and that he hadn't truly been her first… well, anything. He knew he should just confront her about it; what did he have to lose? The pharaoh was gone, he wasn't coming back. Putting this…thing out in the open would dispel the strain on their relationship…but his pride wouldn't let him do it. He was afraid to hear what he already knew spoken out loud.

_I need to stop thinking about this… _Pulling out his phone he sent out a text to the guys. **_Night out? I'm buying. _**

Less than ten minutes later Yugi, Duke, Tristan and Seto were all stepping out of Kaiba's limo, and walking into the ritziest club in Domino City.

* * *

"There has to be something we can do for him Mahad." Mana pleaded to her old teacher, "He's heartbroken! Isn't there some way we could get him back to the world of the living long enough to talk to her?"

The older wizard shook his head, "There is only one such spell that I know, and it would give him a new body and life. He would be trapped in the world of the living another lifetime."

Mana's eyes widened. "That's _perfect_!" She cried. "He could grow old with the woman he loves. How do we do it?"

Mahad's face was stern, "I will _not_ teach you this spell; it comes at too great a cost." Thinking the conversation finished, he turned and walk away.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Mana asked, following close behind him.

The more powerful magician couldn't help but think about the time they had spent together in ancient Egypt. When Mana was still an apprentice she used to follow him around like this; begging for instructions on spells that she wanted to learn that were well past what she was ready for. It had been centuries since she had acted this way, but those pleading eyes hadn't lost their touch. When he turned to tell her no once again he found himself unable to. So he simply answered her question "You would be wiped from existence."

Mana froze, thinking about that for a moment. "Didn't we take an oath for our pharaoh?"

"An oath that no longer held us after his arrival in this world." Mahad reminded her, not liking where this conversation was going. Mana was like a daughter to him, and Mahad was not about to let her throw away her afterlife.

"The spirit world is a reflection of the life we had. Even after death our loyalties are to the pharaoh, and I intend to continue to honor my oath." Her face was determined and Mahad's went pale.

"You can't be serious."

"I am," she answered evenly, "now tell me how to cast it!"

Turmoil massed inside the magician as he stared into her unwavering gaze. If he refused Mahad knew she would never forgive him...and wasn't no existence better than one where Mana resented him? "The cost of this spell is two existences not just one." Her master sighed, relenting. "If you are certain this is the path you wish to walk, I will accompany you in this task. Now come, we have much to prepare."

* * *

_I decided that I can't keep my favorite character out of the storyline. Atem won't be making an appearance in the world of the living until around chapter 15 though, because defying the laws of the universe is never a walk in the park. He has some serious fighting to do before he gets back there._

_Next update we'll join the guys at the club for some excitement... and maybe a bar fight._


	8. The Girl with the Blue Eyes

_I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters._

_And now...to the bar!_

* * *

Yugi leaned against the bar with an amused look on his face as he tossed his head back and a shot poured down his throat. "I swear this never gets old." He told Tristan. They had been watching Duke move meticulously through the entire place getting one girl after another's number.

Right now he was playing wingman to a very unamused Seto. "You think he can actually do it?" Tristan asked chuckling, "Kaiba's winning personality has gotta be hard to sell." They both laughed, grabbing their refilled glasses off the bar. A moment later they raised them in salute to Duke as one of the girls they had been talking to slipped a piece of paper into Seto's jacket. "Well I'll be," Tristan grinned when Duke and Seto came back to the bar, "I didn't think you had it in you Kaiba."

Seto shot him an angry glare. "I did it to prove a point."

Duke sighed. "He pulled the CEO card. Didn't even try."

"My _point_" Kaiba cut in, "was that they knew who I was. Any woman in this bar would give me _or_ Yugi their number just because we're rich and famous. Trust me, if I was looking for a relationship I would _not_ come to a bar to find a woman."

"You're missing the whole point of the thing," Duke sighed, "It isn't about wanting to build a relationship; it's about seeing if you can get the number. It's the ego boost in knowing that any woman in the room would gladly spend time with you." Duke pulled an assortment of napkins, post-it notes and business cards out of his pocket. "Every. Woman. In. The. Room." He stated proudly.

"Even the one that gave Kaiba her number?" Tristan asked sceptically.

"She slipped it to me when Kaiba turned to leave." Duke grinned, pulling a single card out of his back pocket.

Something caught Seto's eye in the back corner. "Check out that girl over there." They all turned to see a mousy looking girl with large blue eyes and long blue hair, leaning shakily against a table. There were three men standing around her that looked like bad news.

"Dammit I missed her." Duke swore.

"Hey Yug," Tristan asked, "doesn't she look like…"

Yugi nodded. Kisara was the name of girl Tristan was thinking of. She had been in the pharaoh's memories… could this be her reincarnation? He turned to Seto, only to see his friend stalking angrily across the bar. "I guess he's got this." Yugi laughed under his breath and followed after Seto.

"I believe the lady wants you to leave her alone." Seto spoke calmly as he approached the three men. "I would suggest you do so."

As the men turned to face Kaiba, Duke slipped behind them and helped the girl over to a chair a safe distance away. "Stay here" he smiled reassuringly, "my friends can handle this."

"Who the hell do you think you are kid?" the shortest of the men demanded.

Kaiba smirked, "My name's Seto. I guess you're the ring leader?"

The older man laughed, "Don't mess with us kid, do you know who I am?"

"Obviously." Kaiba scoffed, "You're Mr. Hendrix, the owner of DCG corp." The CEO answered calmly.

"Exactly!" The man grinned. "I earn more money in a day than you could in ten years. Do you know what that means? Me and my buddies are untouchable."

Kaiba's fist propelled forward. Stopping just short of the man's face, he retracted his punch. "Not from where I'm standing." He growled at the stunned man. By now Tristan and Yugi were behind Kaiba, ready to back him up should a fight break out, which was looking extremely likely from the way Kaiba was goading these men on. But the young CEO wasn't stupid; he had been playing corporate games for years. He knew how this had to go down if he was going to walk away without creating a scandal that could crush his company.

Hendrix's face turned an angry shade of red as he recovered from the shock of Kaiba's boldness. "You're going to regret that boy." Nodding to the other two, Hendrix dove at Kaiba as the others went for Yugi and Tristan. The fight lasted only a minute; the drunker, older men didn't really pose a challenge. Kaiba let a slow punch from Hendrix hit him in the eye, pulling his head back at the last second to lessen the seriousness of the blow. Then he kicked the older man in the gut, sending him flying into the wall behind him. The other two men froze at the sight of their leader lying on the ground, giving Tristan and Yugi the opportunity to pin them down. "This isn't over." Hendrix wheezed from his spot on the floor. "I'm pressing charges and when this whole thing is done I will own your ass."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Kaiba laughed, "I stepped in to save a young woman you were harassing, and you tried to beat me up." His hand brushed against his swelling black eye. "The broken ribs I gave you were in self defense."

"Do you think a court will care when the head of a corporation stands against a worthless brat like you?" Hendrix laughed through labored breaths.

"Oh I'm sorry," Kaiba smirked, "I should have introduced myself properly; I'm Seto Kaiba; head of Kaiba corp. You'll be hearing from my lawyer on Monday you insignificant little worm." With that he turned and stalked over to Duke and the girl, crouching down in front of her chair so they were eye to eye. "Did they hurt you at all?"

The girl shook her head, wrapping her arms across her stomach, "No, thank you."

Seto stood taking her by the hand. "Come on, I'll make sure you get home alright." Letting her lean on him for support, Kaiba lead the girl out of the club.

Inside his limo, Kaiba sat in the seat opposite to the girl. "Where do you need to go?" he asked, crossing his hands across his chest. It unsettled him to think how much this girl reminded him of the one he had seen two years ago.

He didn't like to think about that time; when everything he had believed in had been proven false. Magic and monsters… it was as if the ground had shifted underneath his feet, turning his entire world upside down. It had been easy to forget about the incident and move on… but this girl. She looked so much like the one he had seen in his visions, the one his past-self had been in love with. He didn't like the memories she was invoking, but he couldn't just abandon her. He hated to admit it, but he almost felt drawn to her somehow.

"Actually…I think I need to go to the hospital." The girl said weakly. "I think one of them had the bartender put something in my drink."

Bastards. Kaiba nodded, looking at his driver. "You heard the lady, and step on it. I don't care if you get a ticket; just don't stop till we reach the hospital." If she was right and she had been drugged, Kaiba corp. was in for quite the media circus.

* * *

"Well I'll be damned…" Duke stared after Kaiba and the girl in shock.

"What's up Duke?" Tristan asked, letting go of the guy he had pinned to the ground.

"I think I need some pointers from Kaiba on picking up women." His eyes were still locked on the door of the club, even though the two were probably already climbing into Kaiba's limo.

"Duke, you have the number of every girl that was in the club tonight." Yugi said. "I think you've got picking up women mastered."

Duke shook his head, his eyes still locked on the doorway. "Every woman but one." He corrected. "Her eyes never left Kaiba the entire time I was talking to her."

Yugi chuckled. He felt his cell buzz in his pocket. Pulling it out he saw a text from his mom: **_Grandpa's back in the hospital, they don't think he'll last the night. _**It was like the world shattered around him as he read those words. "Guys, I've gotta get to the hospital." His voice sounded distant as he spoke.

Tristan sobered up immediately, "You're grandpa?" Yugi nodded. "I'll call you a cab." His friend patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be okay man."

Yugi didn't believe him.

* * *

_Yes I know, I'm being depressing again. Sorry, I promise I'll stop doing that soon. This Thursday: Joey!_


	9. Will I be Alright?

_Now before you say anything about this post going up a day late let me tell you a story:_

_~Once upon a time there was a young woman who decided she needed to further her education and go back to university to finish the program she initially dropped out of. In order to practice her writing skills, she began to write fan-fiction over the summer for fun. _

_Now the week of classes drew ever closer and on the fateful thursday when she was supposed to upload her favorite chapter of her story she went to the bookstore to purchase her books. Something strange happened while she was at the store. A feeling of worry and dread came over her. *Will I be able to keep up with the course load after being out of school for so long?* She wondered *What if all my profs are incapable of teaching and I have to learn all of the material independently?* With so many thoughts floating round her head, she returned home and decided to bike down to the farmer's market to distract herself. _

_When she left the house however, she did not take her phone. While she was gone, the reminder alarm for updating her fan-fiction went off, and so she fully forgot to update the story until she was lying in bed around 1:00am.~_

_So yes I forgot and I'm sorry, but I'm sure most of you don't really care the reason :P I wonder how many people even bother to read this part before the actual story? Oh well. _

_I noticed I never actually wrote this specifically into the story; Joey and Téa have a key to eachother's apartment. Never a bad idea if you're living alone to give a friend a spare key._

_I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters. I do not endorse the act of burning coffee; waste of good caffeine it is._

* * *

Joey knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped into Téa's apartment. The smell of burnt coffee sent him running to the kitchen. The pot had pretty much boiled dry. "Téa?" he called to the seemingly empty apartment. No answer. He walked down the small hallway towards her room and knocked on the closed door. "Téa?"

"I'm not feeling well I don't think I'll be able to go out today." A tired voice came from the other side of the door. "Sorry I should have called."

Joey opened the door a crack, "Are ye decent?" he asked.

A faint "Uh-huh," was the only reply he got.

He opened the door to see the bed dishevelled and most of the blankets massed around his friend in a cocoon. Joey sighed, she wasn't sick; she only did that when something was wrong. "Téa, what happened?" He asked as he sat at the foot of her bed. When she didn't respond he stood, grabbing the covers and yanking them all off in one fluid motion. A shocked Téa pulled herself to a sitting position and glared at her friend. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying for a while.

"I said I don't feel well, let me sleep!" she snapped, reaching for the blankets.

Joey threw them across the room out of her reach. "Not until ya tell me what's wrong, and we get some food in yer stomach. I aint stupid Téa; we may live in different units but we've still practically been roomates for the past year and a half. I know when something's wrong."

Téa looked away, and sniffled a bit. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Yea? Well I ain't leaving till ya do." Joey stomped over to the bed and scooped her up, carrying her to the kitchen. She crinkled her nose at the smell of the burnt coffee as he dropped her into one of the chairs at the table. "Now what happened?" he asked, opening her cupboard and pulling out a frying pan.

Téa looked away from him and crossed her arms defiantly, "I told you I don't want to talk about it."

Joey laughed. "Ya know how I know it's bad?" he asked. "Ye always act like a child when ya have a serious problem. It's like ye don't know what to do and ye hope some big grownup'll come and fix it for ya." He opened the fridge and pulled out some eggs and bacon. "I aint gonna solve yer problems for ye Téa, but I wanna help if I can. Sitting in yer room in a ball isn't gonna make things better. Ya gotta get up and do something. Now what's up?"

She was quiet for a moment before asking, "Joey do you think I'm doing alright?"

Joey turned to look at her, "What brings dat question on?"

Lowering her head she mumbled, "You can't tell Yugi."

Joey winced but nodded. "Ya got it Téa. Not a word to Yugi." After dropping some slices of bacon into the pan, he began scrubbing the black gunk out of the coffee pot.

"Well," Téa paused, not knowing where to start. "You remember our boat ride with the pharaoh just before we put his soul to rest?" Joey stopped what he was doing and looked at her; he had an idea where this was going.

Joey had been the first one during their time with the pharaoh to realize Téa's feelings for Atem. He had told Tristan, but because of Yugi's feelings for Téa, they had both kept their mouths shut all this time. As far as he knew, Yugi was clueless to this day. "Of course I remember it, what does dat have to do with this?"

Téa blushed and for a minute Joey wondered if he really wanted to know. "I went to Yugi's room that night on the boat. I wanted to talk to Atem, say goodbye. But I couldn't admit it to Yugi, I couldn't tell him. So instead I ran out of the room after an awkward conversation. Ever since I've dreamed of how I wanted that night to go."

"Téa please before ye go on sensor these thoughts. I know I promised not to tell Yugi, but some things I just don't wanna know." Joey's face was red and he was facing the sink again in an attempt to hide it.

Téa's face reddened, "It's not like _that_," she lied, "but the dream was always the same, I see Atem, say what I had wanted to say…I…I had the dream last night, but it was different. He asked me if I would be okay when he left." Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered it. "And suddenly it didn't feel like a dream anymore. When his eyes locked with mine and I thought of the last two years without him…I told him I didn't know, and I started to cry."

Joey turned to look at her. "So this is all over a dream?" He sounded less than impressed.

"Not entirely." She admitted, "When I started to cry he hugged me, and it felt so real I forgot I was dreaming… until my phone rang and woke me up. When I picked it up, I heard his voice on the other side of the line. It was Yugi, but I didn't know that. I dropped the phone, and for a moment all I could think was 'He came back.'" She sniffled again. "Then Yugi said it was him and the line went dead. When I called him back I could barely keep myself from crying, and when he said I love you before hanging up I couldn't say it back."

Removing the bacon, and pouring the grease out of the pan, Joey cracked a couple of eggs. "So ya miss Atem." Joey was quiet for a moment as he chose his words. "Téa when ye lose someone ya care about there are good days and bad days; but laying around moping is the last thing ya should do on the bad days. Why haven'tcha just told Yugi about the feelings ye had for the pharaoh? It's not like he'd have anything to be jealous about, ye never had a chance to act on 'em." There was a long silence and when Téa didn't answer he turned to look at her.

She was staring at the table, not meeting his eye. "That's not exactly true…"

Joey's eyes widened, "When? How...how does Yugi not know?"

Téa blushed, not knowing if she wanted to share the memory. "It was the night before we left for Egypt. Atem and I couldn't sleep and we both ended up walking though the city in the middle of the night." Joey turned back to the stove to pull the eggs out of the pan. "We ran into each other and we talked for a while before he walked me home. Things got…a little heated on the porch before we said goodnight. Yugi was asleep so he doesn't know Atem even went for that walk."

Joey was quiet for a long time, "You told Yugi that he was your first kiss."

"It technically isn't a lie." Téa's voice was small.

"How far did he get?"

Téa's eyes widened, "Pardon?"

"Ya heard me, I asked how far ya let him get." Joey looked at Téa, his face was serious. "Ya lied to Yugi, I'm asking how much ya lied to him. It doesn't really matter now, but if I'm keeping secrets then I wanta know the whole secret. How far did Atem get?"

"Second base or so?" She couldn't look him in the eyes. Her hand went back to her neck where the pharaoh had left his mark.

Joey didn't say a word or even look at her as he dropped a plate of food in front of her and sat down with his own. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Just eat." There was an angry edge to his voice. He didn't speak again until his plate was almost gone. "Why would ya jump so into a relationship with Yugi so fast if ya were so in love with the pharaoh?"

"Atem asked me to look after him."

Joey's jaw dropped. "Yer not serious are you?" Téa nodded and Joey sighed, shaking his head. "Yeh shouldn't have done it, it aint fair to Yug."

"I didn't just do it because Atem asked me… I have feelings for Yugi too, but he reminds me so much of Atem…"

"Dat ya can't fully let the pharaoh go and move on." Joey finished for her. There was another long silence as they finished eating. As Téa put her fork down, Joey picked up their plates and dropped them in the sink. He poured them both some coffee and sat back at the table. "I think you should tell him."

Téa's eyes went wide, "Tell him? What would I say; 'I don't know if I can continue this relationship because you remind me too much of the spirit that used to share your body? Oh, and by the way, one night while you were sleeping I let him touch my boobs?'"

Joey winced, letting out an awkward laugh, "I'd word it a bit differently. Ya don't have to tell him everything, but this relationship aint good for ya right now. Tell him about yer feelings for the pharaoh, not about the rest. Let him know dat ya need some time. Yug's a good guy, he'll understand and I'm sure he'll wait."

Téa sipped her coffee and nodded. "You're right, he deserves to know. I just don't know how to tell him."

"Face-to-face is how. He deserves that from yeh." Téa nodded again as Joey spoke, "I'll call him and get him to come over first chance he gets. He can stay at my place."

"He's going to hate me."

"For a while he might be mad atcha, but he'll calm down. He really cares about ye Téa."

She offered a sad smile, "I know. Hey Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll be alright?"

"Yeah Téa, I think ye'll be just fine."

* * *

_And so ends the summer, sadly because of school this story will only be updating once a week from now on. As always if you have any feedback let me know! See you guys next Thursday :)_


	10. Don't Worry Pharaoh

_Hey look! an early update! _

_I logged in today to read over the chapter I was supposed to post this Thursday and saw 3 reviews I hadn't before. I was thrilled to get more feedback and I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. I'm also thrilled that the word "Reviews" beside the story on my menu is now accurate. One review should not be pluralized..._

_...Anyways, two of these reviews pointed out that I had been spelling Kaiba's name incorrectly. I would like to take a moment and apologize for that. I went through and found and replaced 55 misspelled instances of his name. (No I didn't count, when I finished editing the online chapters I used find/replace on my word document and it told me)_

_I spelled it correctly a few times throughout one of the chapters, and I find it embarrassing that I would make such a mistake so many times when I clearly did know the correct spelling, as I used it 4 or 5 times._

_So for those of you who are big fans of Kaiba, I appologize once more for butchering his name. This extra chapter is for you! See you again Thursday!_

_As always, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters!_

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Mahad asked Atem once the preparations for the spell had been made. "Once we are done here you will not be able to return to this realm until you meet death once more."

The pharaoh nodded a smile on his lips. "Let us begin."

Mahad shook his head. "No my king, although Mana and I may be prepared for this task, you are not. Re-entering the land of the living is not a feat to be taken lightly. You will be tested multiple times before you arrive at your goal. Should you fail, your spirit will be lost forever."

Atem's face became serious. "Do you know what these trials will entail?"

"Not in detail my king. There will be a test of your strength, of your wits, and a test of your heart. Mana will be there to guide you along your journey." He said, turning to his apprentice. "You will also be tested in these trials, should you fail you know the consequences?"

Mana's eyes were determined. "I do master. I will not fail my pharaoh!"

Mahad nodded once more. "Very well, let us begin."

* * *

By the time Kaiba reached the hospital the girl was unconscious. Stepping out of the limo he carried her into the emergency room. All eyes turned to him as he walked through the doors, the nurse at the desk stood and ran to him. Checking the girl's wrist for her pulse she asked, "What happened Mr. Kaiba?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'd put my money of Rohypnol." Kaiba answered in hushed tones as he set her down on the stretcher brought over by a second nurse. "She was having some trouble with three gentlemen at a club."

The first nurse nodded, motioning for Kaiba to follow as she pushed the girl down the hallway. "Do you know her name?"

Kaiba shook his head. "She went unconscious before I thought to ask."

"Do you think you can give a statement to the police describing the men that did this?"

"I can do you one better, I know their names." Seto looked concernedly at the girl on the stretcher. "Keep this as quiet as you can; as soon as I give my statement this place will become a mad house with reporters running through the halls. Her ordeal is far from over."

"Well if you're right about the Rohypnol," the nurse spoke in a somber tone, "then it could have been much worse."

Kaiba frowned, "Clearly you've never been at the center of a cooperate scandal. By the time the media is done with her, her life may have been better off if I hadn't stepped in."

The nurse shot him an angry look. "You have no idea the emotional damages a woman who has been sexually abused suffers Mr. Kaiba. If you did you wouldn't make such wild statements."

"Mr. Kaiba!" he turned to see the other nurse running down the hall towards them. "I thought you should know; Yugi Moto just arrived. His grandfather is on the top floor of the east wing. They don't think he will last the night."

Seto nodded grimly, "I understand, when I'm done here I'll go pay my respects."

* * *

Yugi ran through the doors of the Domino city hospital in a panic. The nurse on duty recognized him and sent him to the top floor of the east wing. He thanked her and took off down the hall. His grandpa had spent the better part of the last year here in the hospital. After the initial stroke he had seemed alright for a while, but then he began showing early stages Alzheimer's. Even with the best doctors Yugi's money could buy there was nothing that could be done. So Yugi had ensured that his grandpa received the best care twenty-four- seven, and visited as often as he could.

For the past month his grandpa had been asking about the pharaoh every time Yugi came to visit. Wondering where he was and why Yugi wasn't talking to him anymore. Every time this happened Yugi had to smile and remind his grandpa that the pharaoh had been gone for two years now, and that his spirit was at rest. Then his grandpa would smile, say "oh that's right." And ask him how his trip to Egypt had been.

In the past week Yugi had been avoiding going to see him, not wanting to have the same conversation again. Now he regretted that decision immensely, knowing that this was the last time he would ever see his grandpa.

As the elevator doors opened, Yugi saw his mother standing in the hallway. She was speaking to the doctor in a hushed voice, tears drying on her cheeks. "Mom," Yugi called, walking towards them, "sorry to interrupt, how is he?"

The doctor sighed, "He's stable for now, but I don't think it will last. He keeps saying senseless things like the pharaoh will see him soon. If you want to speak with him you may, but I don't think he will know who you are."

A lump formed in Yugi's throat. For the second time in twenty-four hours he cursed his new voice. "I understand doctor. Thank you." Swallowing hard, he opened the door to his grandpa's room.

The room was silent, save for the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor. The sound the door made as it clicked closed made him jump. He heard his grandpa stir from his sleep; "Is someone there?"

"Yes grandpa," Yugi answered, sitting in the chair beside his bed, "it's me."

His grandpa's eyes widened as he looked upon his grandson. "I knew you would be here at the end." The old man labored for breath. "You've come to see me over haven't you?"

Tears filled Yugi's eyes, "Yes," he answered, knowing there was no use trying to explain that he wasn't Atem, "I've come to bring you to the spirit world with me."

"Good, good." His grandpa's eyes closed and he leaned back on his pillow. "I think I've burdened my daughter-in-law and my grandson enough already. I've been so confused for so long…I can't even remember if I ever told them how much I loved them both."

"I'm sure they know," Yugi smiled through the tears, "and they would want you to know that they love you too."

His grandpa smiled, "Of course they do. I suppose I'll see you on the other side." He said as the beeping of the monitor began to slow. "Oh, and don't worry pharaoh… I never told Yugi about the walk you took the night before you two left for Cairo."

The monitor switched to a solid tone and the doctor came into the room. The man said something to Yugi but he didn't hear. He just stared at his grandfather stunned.

* * *

_Please don't hit me! Yes I killed off Grandpa, but I will not apologize for it. It needed to be done. Thursday we'll meet up with Atem for his journey back to the world of the living. Should be interesting._


	11. Farewells and new Beginnings

_Whoo! First week of classes and I updated on time :D_

_I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters._

* * *

As Mahad's voice chanted Atem could feel a wind pick up around them. It swirled the sand at Mana and his feet, lifting it off the ground. Within seconds they were enclosed in the center of a spinning wall of sand. Mahad's voice grew louder but the wind was so strong Atem could only just barely hear what he was saying. His eyes widened as he listened to the words of the spell. "Mahad no!" he yelled, but it was too late. The incantation finished and the magician's voice fell silent. Suddenly the wind stopped, and the pharaoh fell to his knees.

"Mana, why didn't you tell me the cost of this spell would be Mahad's exhistance?" he asked as a single tear fell to the ground.

Mana placed a hand on his shoulder, "Because you wouldn't have gone through with it." She answered apologetically. "Now let's go, we have to find our way through the trials or his sacrifice will have been for nothing."

Nodding, Atem rose to his feet and looked around. They stood on the edge of a small oasis, looking out into the desert their vision was clouded by a heavy mist. "Mist in a desert?" Atem shivered, it was an unsettling combination. "Mana where do we go from here?"

His childhood friend suppressed a shiver, nodding out into the mist. "The oasis behind us is the symbol of what you choose to leave behind: the eternal safety and peace of your spirit. In order to journey to the world of the living we must walk into the unknown."

A shadow came into view deep in the mist. The pharaoh instinctively stepped protectively in front of his friend. "Who's there?"

A familiar chuckle was the only reply Atem received until the figure cleared the mist. "Hello pharaoh. Long-time no see." Yugi's grandpa laughed.

"What are you doing here?" Atem shook his head at the ridiculousness of his own question. "Of course, you must have passed on. How foolish of me."

The old man's face grew very serious. "How could you not know? I thought you were…" He sighed, realizing what had happened. "I must apologize Atem; the disease that took my life was not one that often leaves its victims with much dignity. I'm afraid in my final moments I mistook my grandson for you."

Atem's face fell, wondering if his former host was handling the loss well. "I am traveling back to the world of the living; should I survive the trials in order to cross over. Is there anything you would like me to tell him for you?"

"There is one thing." The old man stood on his toes and whispered into the pharaoh's ear.

Atem couldn't help but chuckle. "Very well old friend, I'll be sure to let him know. I hope to see you again someday."

Taking Mana's hand in his, Atem began to walk out into the misty desert. "Oh pharaoh!" the old man called. Atem turned, "I don't know if it matters any, but in my delusional state I told my grandson about that walk you took."

The pharaoh's face showed no emotions as he answered. "It's most likely of no consequence now, but thank you for telling me. Farewell."

"Good luck to you both!" Grandpa Moto yelled after them as they disappeared into the mist. Then he turned and entered the realm of the spirits, wondering what could be so important that someone would leave a place so perfect.

* * *

"Yugi."

It had finally happened. It wasn't as though they hadn't known it would. They were prepared for it; his funeral arrangements had all been made. But Yugi still couldn't believe he was gone. The last few moments he had spent with his grandpa and the old man hadn't even known who he was. _I never told Yugi…_ his grandfather's last words kept echoing in his head. He didn't know what to make of them. Were they the delusional ramblings brought on by the illness? Or had he actually covered for the pharaoh on _that_ night?

"Yugi."

Thoughts swirled around in his head and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't make them still. _My grandpa is dead… Atem betrayed me…my love lied to me…my grandpa is dead…_

"Yugi!" As Kaiba shook his friend, bringing him back to reality.

"What?" Yugi snapped. He wanted to hit something, to yell, but mostly he just wanted to break down and cry. His grandpa's death would have been difficult enough had it not been for the emotional sucker punch of discovering without a doubt that Atem had betrayed him, and Téa had lied. He wanted to separate the feelings of loss from the ones of betrayal, but no matter how hard he tried, his grandfather's final words tied the two together. _My grandpa is dead…Atem betrayed me…_

"Oh no you don't." Seto growlded, grabbing Yugi by the arm and dragging him down the hall. "You've had that spaced out look on your face for the past ten minutes. I'm not letting you fall back into that trance. Let's go."

"What are you doing here anyway Kaiba?"

Seto rolled his eyes, "I thought I should come and pay my respects to your grandpa, after all we got along so well. Remember that time in the tenth grade when I kidnapped him and destroyed his most cherished possession?"

"Fuck you."

Kaiba smirked pulling Yugi into the elevator. "Yeah those were good times."

Yugi didn't know why but he laughed. Maybe in his own, weird way Kaiba was trying to make him feel better by distracting him…or he was avoiding answering Yugi's question. "Seriously, what are you doing here?" When the elevator doors closed behind them Seto explained what had happened with to the girl they had saved at the bar. "Wow, talk about a group of sleaze-balls."

Kaiba nodded, "Yugi, we're friends so I'm not going to sugar coat this for you. The media frenzy that will be caused from the combination of your grandpa's death and this scandal is going to be vicious. If we're lucky they'll leave you alone because of the loss you suffered, but I wouldn't count on it."

"So: no punching reporters, is what you're saying?" Yugi tried to sound light-hearted, but it just wasn't possible.

"I'm saying please just keep your mouth shut and let me handle this." Kaiba's voice was sharp, but there was a look on his face that said he was genuinely concerned. "Take the time you need to recover from this and stay out of the spot light for a while."

"Thank's Kaiba."

"Don't thank me till we get through this one." Kaiba replied, "Even if the court case goes well, the company could still be in serious trouble. I'll have to get the media on my side, and you know how I am with public relations."

Yugi chuckled, "The black eye was a nice touch though, it should help."

Kaiba smirked, "I thought so too." The elevator hit the ground floor and Kaiba stepped out. "I'll be here still until the girl wakes up. Do you want me to keep you in the loop?"

"Please." _Any distraction is a good distraction._

"Alright,"Kaiba nodded, "and Yugi… I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it does get better. Losing a parent is always difficult, if you need anything…" Kiba trailed off, not sure what to say.

"I get it Kaiba," Yugi smiled, "and thanks."


	12. A Test of your Strength

_So... let's talk. School is a lot tougher than I thought it would be and I haven't had the motivation to do any creative writing when I'm finished with my work because I just want to get the hell away from my computer monitor. So here's an update, it isn't edited and some of the conversation is choppy, but it's the best I can do right now. Please don't hate me. I'll try and update every other week from now on, and once classes finish in December you should have a weekly update till they start up again after the holidays. _

_I'm not abandoning this project, but it is taking a back seat to a lot of other things. If I miss an update, I'll do my best to get it up asap, but please cut me some slack. The next 3 chapters still have to be written, but I have a few later on that are almost complete._

_***I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters***_

* * *

Atem held Mana's hand tightly as they walked through the desert. The mist was so thick that he couldn't see her at all. "How much farther do you think we need to travel?" He asked.

"I don't know." Her tired voice replied. Suddenly her hand left his own as she fell beside him.

"Mana!" he yelled, unable to see what had happened to her.

"I'm fine; my foot caught on a stone…there's a road here!" The pharaoh jumped as her hand brushed his leg. "There you are!" she laughed as he took her hand and hoisted her up. They moved onto the stone road and continued walking. Slowly the mist began to clear and Atem could see a huge structure looming in front of them.

"I know this place…" A shiver ran down his spine. They were standing in front of an ancient Egyptian temple that belonged to the god Horus, the protector of the pharaoh. _So these trials will be presented by the gods of Egypt themselves._

As they approached the entrance to the temple a figure emerged from inside. Horus stood almost twice as tall as Atem; his muscle-bound body clothed from his waist down, and a headdress surrounded his hawk-like face. "You shall go no further Atem." The god's voice echoed through the air though his beak did not move. "Your time in the mortal realm has past, and I must enforce the order of the universe."

Atem stood his ground. "I cannot accept that Horus."

"You dare speak to a god so informally?" The god removed his headdress and the bird face that was attached to reveal a human face with unnerving amber eyes. "So be it. Your first trial is upon you. In order for you to pass you must best me in hand to hand combat. The fight will end when one of us can no longer rise."

"Very well." Atem planted his feet firmly on the stone. "Mana stay back." He commanded as Horus took a step towards him.

* * *

"Hey Yug, it's Joey. How ya feeling man?" Yugi groaned inwardly at the pity in his friend's voice. It was that awkward unsure tone that he had heard so many times already in the past two weeks; it was driving him insane. He knew it wasn't Joey's fault, no one knew how to act after a death. He just wished everyone would act normal.

"I'm fine Joey," he lied, "the funeral was two weeks ago. I think I might fly out this weekend; I'm trying to avoid the media storm over here right now. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah man, those guys are brutal. I'm glad they're on yer side… if this doesn't let up soon DCG is gonna be out of the industry. Not that I feel sorry for 'em. They deserve everything they get." Joey paused for a moment, Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "How's Kaiba holding up?" The question caught him off guard, Joey wasn't normally one to care about the CEO.

Yugi knew why he was asking; some journalist had managed to get a photo of Kisa, the girl they saved, leaving the hospital accompanied by Kaiba. The headline to accompany the photo read: Seto Kaiba; the Knight in Shining Armor. It was now a full blown rumor that the two were a couple.

"He's flustered," Yugi admitted, "the media attention on them is a problem. DCG is most likely going to hang onto this rumor and build their court case around the fact that Kaiba already knew her and that it was all a ploy to ruin their company's name. It's unfounded of course, Kisa is from out of town, and had no previous ties to Kaiba. He checked into it himself just to be sure, but the media is vicious, if they ran with that story it could ruin all of us."

"Plus he's sweet on her ain't he?"

Yugi winced, "You didn't hear it from me."

Joey chuckled, "Relax, I ain't gonna yank his chain over it. Rich boy's got enough to worry about right now, and I quit picking fights with him years ago."

"Good. How's Téa doing?" there was a long silence on the other side of the line. "Joey? You still there?"

"Yea, sorry Yug. I don't really know what to tell ya. She's…going through some pretty heavy stuff right now, but it ain't my place to say."

"Alright that's fair. I'll talk to her when I get there on Saturday."

"Yeah alright, hang in there till then."

* * *

"Pharaoh!" Mana's voice echoed in the entranceway to Horus' temple as Atem fell to the ground once more. He winced as his knee scraped across the stone of the road, gouging open his skin. "This isn't fair!"

Mana was right; what chance did a mortal have against a god? Horus stood twice the pharaoh's height and his strength was phenomenal. _This could be it for me. _Atem thought grimly as the god who had protected him in life lifted him in the air once more. Horus held him by his left wrist and ankle, Atem's body facing away from the god; he began to spin clockwise, intending to throw the pharaoh like a sack of grain.

Closing his eyes Atem braced himself for the fall he knew would end his existence. Once Horus let go of him the back of his head would connect with the stone road. All of the force of that throw would impact the back of his skull. He was defeated.

"Don't give up!" He heard Mana cry. _Mana…what will happen to her if I fail? _The pharaoh's mind went back to what Mahad had said before beginning this ritual: _"You will also be tested in these trials." _Atem smiled; perhaps he wasn't meant to face the god alone.

Grabbing onto the god's right wrist with his free hand; Atem held on as tight as he could when the god released him. The force of the throw sent Atem flying, but his grip did not lessen. With his hand still firmly grasping the god's wrist Atem's feet continued to move behind Horus as his upper body remained in place. The pharaoh grinned as he pulled his right leg in and his left hit the god on the left side of his waist.

Atem's right leg wrapped around the right side of the god's waist as he pulled the Horus' arm back and up. Planted himself securely on his back, Atem pinned the god's right arm behind its owner's back with his left hand. "Mana!" He yelled, "I need your help!" Before he was finished speaking a powerful blast of magic hit the god square in the chest. Atem made a fist with his free hand and punched Horus across the back of the head. This brought forth a chuckle from the god.

"Did you really think that punch would hurt me? I admit the girl's magic is powerful, but your physical strength pales in comparison to mine." Horus laughed, pulling his right arm easily out of the pharaoh's grip.

Atem smiled as he felt the effects of a new spell from Mana entering his body. "But what happens if she uses her magic to strengthen my attack?" This time when his fist connected with the god's head Horus fell to his knees. A second punch had the god lying face-down on the ground.

"I didn't think a god could go unconscious." Mana admitted, walking past Horus to the pharaoh. "I guess we head into the temple now." Atem nodded, stepping over the defeated god. With his friend by his side, what could possibly stand in their way?

* * *

_Is it bad? I thought it was pretty bad. Not sure the fight description is overly understandable. Let me know if you could follow it. Sorry again for bailing for a month guys :( I'll do my best to check in on time._


End file.
